Cingulomania

This is a work of fanfiction. There is no copyright infringement intended. I own nothing pertaining to the Archie Comics/Riverdale universe.

…

Chapter 7

…

There was a time when FP and Alice would drink and smoke and run around the streets of Southside, buying tacos at Huerta's Mexican restaurant. They would sit at on the wooden benches, eating the street tacos, talking about the life they would lead when they finally left the worn out halls of Southside high school. Their dreams took them all over the world, had them drinking all types of coffees and eating all kinds of fancy fare. In these fantasies, they'd get married, settle down and have a bunch of kids running around their secluded house, Grandpa Senior would come and visit. In others they'd literally leave in the night, bags packed for Mexico, they'd travel south to the rainforest and live off of the land as they went. It was something they liked to do, concoct scenarios and hope like hell they'd actually get to do them. None it ever came about. They were ripped apart by forces they never saw coming.

Alice wanted to be with FP forever and after; she'd follow him anywhere. When he was patched into the Serpents, she followed him. She didn't like the idea of having to dance in front of all of those men, and women, but she did it. She bought new lingerie to wear, she did her hair in the wild way FP loved. She danced for him, and him alone regardless of the bar full of watchful lust filled eyes. He watched her remove almost every article of clothing, looking like she'd never belonged anywhere but on that stage, twirling around that pole, just for him. When she was done the applause came, she jumped into his arms, kissing him until he couldn't breathe. He was proud of her, they made love for the first time that night.

They made it another two years before the pressure of the illegal activity got the best of them both. They were selling ditch weed then. Dime sacks, half seeds and stems, to the random yuppies that still came through the town, or the hippies still living in their small town. Alice got caught by the Riverdale Police one night, selling sacks prefilled for the random buyers outside of Pop's. Charged with possession, paraphernalia, and intent to sell, she was booked into county awaiting her sentencing. Senior was able to get the charges lowered to possession with time served and a year of probation. FP blamed himself, wished he could have taken the rap for it all. He wanted her to turn in her patch, leave the Serpents behind and go to college. He told her she deserved better. He just wanted her to be safe.

Fp found excuses for not meeting up with her, not telling her about meetings, and went so far as to tell her that they couldn't see each other anymore. Alice felt the earth open up and swallow her whole. She begged him to come to his senses. He did, for awhile, then he told her he couldn't be with her anymore for good this time. He just needed for her to get out of Southside, and the Serpents. She didn't belong there, didn't belong with him. He quite literally pushed her away, into the arms of another man. To her it was the end of her life. She cleaned up her act, did a complete 180, changed schools and became a completely different person. She was virtually unrecognizable to even herself. She wanted to make sure that FP seen what he'd missed out on. They would run into each other at Pop's and flaunt their new relationships in each other's faces. Then she became pregnant, with Hal's baby. FP felt like his heart had become a shattered glass menagerie. He wished he'd never let Alice go, but it was too late.

She went to see him, heavily pregnant, the swells of her full breasts pushing into his abdomen when she wrapped her arms around him. He hurt deeply at the sight of her swollen belly, wishing it was his child within her womb. He cried into her hair, while she cried into his leather. They stayed awake the whole night, just holding each other, letting their reality wash over them like waves on the sands of SweetWater River. When the sun rose over their sleepy town, she was gone. She'd been sent to the Sister's to await the birth of her and Hal's son, so they could take him away. They would pretend it never happened, like it was all a bad dream.

Alice never spoke to FP again, instead, she married Hal after high school. They went to college and came back to Riverdale a power couple, taking over the Register and taking every chance they could to ruin the reputation of the Southside and the Serpents. FP married his high school girlfriend, took over the Serpents after his Father passed away and settled into life in Riverdale. They lived so close, they could see each other almost everyday. Their children growing up together, going to school together, and now reliving the same mistakes they'd made.

…

FP had just put the last the dirty dishes into the dishwasher and pressed start when he heard the roar of the Harley Davidson Sport Glide FXRT, he knew Betty and Sweet Pea would question his presence in the Cooper house. He quickly wiped his hands on the dish towel hanging on the oven handle and went to the front door. He opened it, watching Betty slide off the back of the bike like a pro, smiling to himself. He had her pinned for a Serpent from the start, and damn it if he wasn't right. Sweet Pea spotted him first, and nodded his acknowledgement. Dismounting the bike as well, the lengthy boy took Betty's hand and walked her up the steps to her front door. She smiled at the sight of their President in the doorway. She liked how he looked in the entrance to her home, he was harsh against the home's neutral air.

"Mr. Jones, to what do I owe this pleasure?" She hugged him upon entering the house.

"Well, your Mom had a rough time after I brought her home. Turns out your Dad found out about the festivities this evening and didn't approve. I figured that being here, for your Mom was best, and here we are." He was leaving quite a chunk of the story out. It really wasn't necessary to tell Betty of the awful things her own father had said about her, to her in letter form. Instead, he offered to make tea. Betty said she was tired, Sweet Pea said he needed to get home before his Mom, or she'd have him skinned. This was FP's chance to head back up the stairs, to make sure that Alice wasn't writing a novel to her loser husband about his undesirable behavior. Slipping into the bedroom that Alice shared with her now estranged husband, he found her sitting on the edge of the mattress, head in her hands.

"Betty is home. Sweet Pea made sure she was in safe. You almost ready for bed Alice?" He came to stand in front of her, waiting for her answer.

"Please don't go FP, I can't be alone tonight." She reached a hand toward his, looking up at him.

"I can stay. I just have to let Jug know." He pulled his phone from his leather pocket and quickly sent a message to his son, then he placed it back in the jacket pocket and took it off.

"Thank you, I owe you. For everything." She felt relief wash over her, calming the flip flopping of her stomach slightly. He smiled at her, she owed him nothing. He on the other hand, felt like her owed her the world.

"It's no problem darlin', I'm here for you." He got undressed, then slipped into the bed with Alice. Her chilled feet finding the crevice between the bed and his calves. He missed her doing that for the last twenty years.

"Please don't leave when the sun rises FP, it'd kill me." She whispered into the darkness. He pulled her closer to him.

"I wouldn't dream of it."

…

Jughead was glad when Toni pulled up in front of the trailer, he had been laying down in the back seat for the last of their runs, wishing he could just spontaneously combust. With no such luck on the random combustibility front, he peeled himself from the torn seat cover and managed to make it inside with zero help from Fangs and Toni. There was nothing askew in the trailer to his immediate knowledge, until he'd come into the kitchen for a glass of water to wash away the dryness of his mouth. He had filled a glass with tap water, turning around to lean his backside against the countertop. There were three shot glasses on the table, an open bottle of whiskey and a lighter he'd seen more times than he could count. The burning he felt in the pit of his stomach was worse than any he'd felt all night. It was bad enough to witness his ex on the back of his friends bike, but to see his friends lighter among the shot glasses confirmed what he'd been dreading all night. That perhaps Betty had indeed been out all night with Sweet Pea, and they had in fact been in this very spot, drinking with his Dad.

Jughead thought back on the look that had crossed his Dad's face when mention of Sweet Pea not being home when Toni had retrieved the weed from his brother's apartment. He felt the heat licking up his spine, torturing his soul as it fanned out across the skin of his back.

"Oh shit. Someone was partying tonight. FP can hammer down." Fangs was laughing to himself, until he seen the lighter amidst the glasses. "Oh. Well, this is awkward." He sat down in a chair across from Jughead.

"What's awkward?" Toni asked upon entering the small kitchen. Fangs motioned toward the middle of the table. Her eyes falling on the lighter as well. "Oh." She pulled her lips into her mouth slightly, not making eye contact with Jughead.

"It's okay guys, he was just showing her the ropes right? She's a prospect now, can't exactly keep tabs on her when I told her to kick rocks." Jughead was trying to sound accepting, knowing that he was anything but.

"Sure. It was probably nothing, they probably just had to drop something off and FP invited them in for a celebratory shot." Toni was grasping for straws. She knew it sounded ridiculous. She'd been the one to make Betty over after all. She'd seen how Sweet Pea reacted to the girl. Shit, she'd even reacted to her. Betty was a bombshell, and they had all known it. Sweet Pea wasn't exactly subtle, watching Betty with Jughead for weeks now. Then the Serpent dance tonight, they'd all been mesmerized by Betty's body, FP and Fangs included.

"Yeah man, I'm sure she's safe at home now. Tucked in bed, sleeping the night off. It's what eleven? Twelve?" Fangs looked at his phone. He was trying to distract himself from the elephant in the room.

"Yeah, probably. I'm going to go to bed. I feel like shit. You guys can stay if you want, I'm pretty sure my Dad will be staying with Mrs. Cooper tonight anyway. Good night." Jughead dismissed the glasses on the table, leaving his own on the counter. The walk down the hallway to his bedroom felt like an eternity, when he finally entered the small space, he felt the rigid ball form in his throat.

He tore his jacket off, throwing it off to the side somewhere, his beanie finding a similar fate. His boots went flying in different directions, and he practically ripped his shirt when he pulled it off his torso. His jeans were discarded at the foot of his bed before he crawled the length of the mattress. He felt the prickle of tears in his eyes, doing his best to blink them away. The tinkle of glasses against each other made his eyes shut tight. He couldn't help but think of Betty shouting Sweet Pea's name, the way she had pressed herself into the taller boys backside. He kept reliving it at every interval. The images turning into musings of the pair intimately intertwined. It made him feel sick in an entirely different way. Now that Betty was going at full speed, wearing a jacket, and making drops, he knew it was just a matter of time before she was being inked and wearing a patch. Probably tending bar with Toni, and attending meetings, voting, becoming a full fledged Serpent. She was already more than he had been when he'd first decided to become a Serpent.

Rolling over on his side, Jughead allowed the tears fall from his aching eyes, wet streaks falling sideways across his face and onto the pillow. He wished for sleep to take him, but everytime he closed his eyes all he could see was Betty. Her beautiful body, lacy black lingerie against the ivory of her skin. If it had only been the two of them, if she'd opted to dance for only him, it'd have been a different kind of night altogether. He had to protect her though, from Penny. A lot of good it did him to dump her. She was traipsing all over Southside with his friend, and brother being shown the ins and outs of pot dealing and god knows what else. She was steam rolling him regardless of what had happened between them, maybe he even pushed her to be more fearless, boundaries be damned. Laying there desperate to rid his mind of the multiple possibilities of how Betty and Sweet Pea's night could be ending, he rolled over to his other side. Not being able to settle, he flung himself over the edge of the bed to retrieve his phone from his pants pocket. He had the urge to text Betty, to tell her good night, in hopes she would text him back. Instead, he scrolled through their last messages to one another and a fresh set of tears sprung forth. He wiped harshly at his face, wetness being deposited in new places on his skin, he text Archie instead.

-Betty home yet?

_Not yet, but your Dad is still over there. Did something happen tonight?

-Yeah. A lot to text. Just let me know when she gets in, if you're still up.

_We'll talk in the morning. I'll let you know.

-Thanks.

_NP

He put the phone on the bed next to him, then laid on his back, looking into the darkness. He stayed like that for quite awhile, not allowing himself to think of anything but the darkness, the way the cool air settled around him. Then his phone dinged twice. He picked it up, turning the screen on, fearing the worst.

_She just pulled up, looking different. She's with that guy Sweet Pea. WTH man?

_He just went inside. Why's he inside Betty's house?

Jughead didn't know how to respond, his mouth went dry again.

-Betty is learning some things. At my Dad's request. I will let you know everything tomorrow.

_Okay man, whatever you say. Night.

-Night.

He placed phone back on the bed, pulling the blanket over himself. He had to sleep, had to forget even for a few hours. Then the phone went off again. He turned it on.

*Jug, Betty just got home. Alice is a mess, I'm staying for the night. Meeting in the morning, around 10. Night.

Jughead didn't bother to reply, just threw the phone on his bedside table and rolled over away from it. He let the silence wash over him, clearing his head of everything that had happened for the first time that night. He'd messed up, and he couldn't come back from this.

...

Sun filtered in through the sheers over the large bay window, he had been watching the dust motes floating through the air over the carpeted floor, scanning the room for a semblance of familiarity. His body was being weighed down by another, limbs tangled under the heavy duvet cover. This was not the scene he'd expected to see when his heavy lids opened this morning. He was expecting the dull light of his merky surroundings in the trailer. The bitter chill from the winter air seeping through the walls and into this bones under his decades old comforter. This was a stark contrast, especially the smooth skin of the woman that held herself to his body like she might fade away if she ever let him go. They hadn't had sex, but this was a much more intimate setting. He hadn't allowed himself to feel this way about her in decades. He'd pushed the love he'd had for her and their life together to the farthest recesses of his heart.

FP pulled the warm body of Alice Cooper closer to him, not wanting to let go so easily. Not knowing if this would be the last time ever, or if it would be the beginning of something better, so he just closed his eyes and savored it for the time being. He knew he needed to be getting back to reality, the Whyte Wyrm, to his job at Pop's. He couldn't help feeling relaxed for the first time in what felt like forever. Then he heard a vibrating sound coming from somewhere in the room, his phone no doubt.

"Mmmm… What's that noise?" Alice stretched her legs, running her toes along FP's ankle.

"Probably one of the guys texting." FP kissed her on her temple.

"Well tell them no. I'm with you right now." She had her arms around his torso, she squeezed him tight.

"I wish it were that simple." He opened his eyes again, looking at her sleepy face.

"It used to be that simple. When Senior was around." Alice thought back to a much simpler time, when they could literally stay in bed all day, no interruptions, FP's Dad running the Serpents.

"Those were the days Alice. You have?" He asked.

"Yeah, those were the days. I have coffee. Nothing like Pop's coffee." She rolled away from Fp, onto the cold side of the king size bed they occupied.

"Where are you going?" He reached for her, missing her warmth instantly.

"I'm going to shower, then I'll make you breakfast. Or if you aren't too busy with the boys, we could go to Pop's?" She had exited the bed, the silk of her nightgown clinging to her curves. She had pulled her matching robe from the back of the chair, sliding it over her arms. She wanted to this to be as normal as possible. Knowing that things could come crashing down at any moment.

"It's up to you. I can make time for either." He winked at her from under the covers. She bit her bottom lip then exited the bedroom. He waited for the sound of the bathroom door clicking shut, then reluctantly removed himself from the bed, tugging his boxers down to cover his thighs. The phone had stopped vibrating for all of a few seconds before it started again, FP pulled it from the pocket of his jacket. There were several text messages from various Serpents, one from Sweet Pea. He was asking about the old bike at the shop. He sent him a reply, then stuffed the phone back in his pocket so he could tug his jeans on.

He could hear the shower going, which gave him some time to get a smoke and rinse with some mouthwash. He finished dressing, opting to check in on Betty. Opening the door quietly, he seen that she was sitting up in her bed. Immediately feeling like a voyeur, he cleared his throat.

"Ehem. Betty, I'm sorry. I thought you might still be sleeping. You got in late, or rather early this morning." He was leaning against the door jam, arms folded over his chest.

"Mr. Jones. Good Morning. Sweet Pea showed me the shop." She hopped off of the bed, taking a few steps toward FP. She wrung her hands in nervousness. "We started working on that old bike you have. I was hoping to talk with you about it. Are you sticking around for breakfast?" She had noticed that FP's bike was at her house when she was dropped off. She had also noticed the ashtray on the back table, and the absence of her Dad's car.

"That old thing? Your Mom used to ride it. It's all yours if you think you can get it running." He let his arms fall from his chest, and stuffed his hands in his jeans pockets.

"Really? You mean it?" She had never been so excited. Her Dad only ever told her what to fix, and how to fix it. No one had ever let her take charge of something so large.

"I mean it Betty. It's all you darlin'." He smiled at how she almost hopped in place, watching her face light up.

"Thank you so much Mr. Jones!" She lunged at him, wrapping her arms around his middle. "It means so much to me. You don't even know." She squeezed him again for good measure.

"You're welcome Betty. If I'd known you'd react this way, I would have let you tinker with it a long time ago." He hugged her back, rubbing circles on her back. "I think we should go for eggs benedict, and a slice of pie for breakfast. What do you think?" She pulled back and looked up FP, a smile wide on her lips, and shook her head.

"I'm so in! Let me get dressed. I have to take some stuff back to Toni today too. Do you think it would be okay if I stopped by the Whyte Wyrm later?" She was already gathering her clothes and laying them on the bed.

"You're a prospect Betty, no need to ask if you can be at the Wyrm. I'll meet you downstairs." He smiled at her and turned from the room. Betty got dressed, put on a minimal amount of makeup, grabbed her jacket from the her vanity chair. Snatching her phone from her comforter, she seen a text from Sweet Pea.

~Good morning Betty. See you at the Wyrm, 10 am.

Heat fanned her cheeks, a smile tugging at her lips, she felt a jolt of excitement at the thought of seeing Sweet Pea after their adventure the night before. She shot off a quick text back to him, then stuffed the phone into her back jeans pocket. Bounding the stairs, she hears her Mother's bathroom door open, her Mom was humming something herself. Today was a new day. A fresh start. No anger, or upset in the air, the best part was having FP in their house instead of her Dad.

"Hey Mr. Jones?" FP turned to look at Betty, stubbing out a cigarette into the ashtray on the table he sat at on the back porch.

"Yeah?" He answered.

"Where's my Dad?"